Engineering Design Of Infrastructure Systems

Engineering Design Of Infrastructure Systems

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Engineering design is at the heart of infrastructure; through a process of analysing the needs of a community, society or economy to function, a system can be developed that makes transportation more effective. Some of the most impressive road systems include bridges and tunnels that have been designed by some of the most inventive engineers of our time such as Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who engineered the Clifton Suspension Bridge and the Thames Tunnel.

Before such impressive tunnels and bridges were built, transportation of goods and people were severely restricted, which in turn led to a limited economic potential. For engineering design professionals, the ability to improve transport was paramount for increasing revenue and the distribution of goods and services. Being able to cut travel times by creating infrastructure systems that spanned rivers or cut through mountainous regions was key to this development.

To do this, engineers need to determine if the cost of the technology needed to fulfil the project is financially viable according to the potential gain possible upon completion. To justify the cost of some projects, a toll charge is implemented, such as with the system that is in place at the Dartford Crossing over the River Thames. The opening of the crossing was essential for the efficient distribution of goods by road, and to prevent traffic build up through London as road traffic increased.

Initially, the revenue received through toll charges was to pay for the construction of a tunnel, but as traffic increased at a faster than expected rate, more money was needed to construct a second tunnel. This allowed traffic to pass both ways for many years until it was evident that this needed to be expanded even further. The engineering design of the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge was undertaken by Hellmut Homburg, a German civil engineer.

The cost of the construction was covered by private funds in return for operational concessions as part of a Government finance initiative. Although the funds needed to build the bridge and the approach roads came to around 150 million GBP, the engineering design is estimated to have a life span of around 120 years, which will be recovered through toll charges to some 145,000 vehicles a day, which will take somewhere in the region of twenty years to generate. Once the debt has been repaid, and enough money has been collected to maintain the bridge and the tunnels, the toll will change to a charge, and the money received is expected to be distributed through the government for public benefit.

About the Author:
Dom Donaldson is an engineering expert.
Find out more about Engineering Design for infrastructure systems and public transport at URS Corp.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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